In January 2013, the value of one bitcoin was just around $13. By June however, the price had risen to around $100 and by November 27, the price had risen to over $1000.

The swift rise in its value has led some to warn of a potential bitcoin bubble. But how did the popularity of the virtual currency lead to such staggering heights? Check out this infographic which charts the inception of the bitcoin in 2008 to the many rises and falls of the virtual currency over the past five years.

The chairman of Hapag-Lloyd said rival Hamburg-Sud should join merger talks between Hapag-Lloyd and Chile’s Vapores.

“The three of us together would be stronger,” Hamburger Abendblatt quoted Juergen Weber as saying in an excerpt from an article to be published.

Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s No.5 container shipping company by capacity, earlier this month said it was in talks to merge with smaller Chilean shipper Compania Sud Americana de Vapores, adding that no agreement had yet been reached.

Shipping groups have been struggling through the worst slump on record, with the weak global economy, oversupply of vessels and low freight rates highlighting the benefits of consolidation in the sector.

Hapag-Lloyd, burdened by 2.35 billion euros ($3.2 billion) of net debt and a nine-month net loss of 56 million euros, already held talks with Hamburg-Sued last year, but the parties were unable to agree terms.